1. Field
The present inventive concepts relate to lighting control systems and/or methods for controlling the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, incandescent light bulbs or fluorescent lamps are commonly used as indoor and outdoor lighting, but they have relatively short lifespans and thus must be frequently replaced.
In order to address this problem, lighting devices employing a light emitting diode (LED) having improved control characteristics, a relative fast response speed, a relatively high degree of electrophotic conversion efficiency, a relatively long life span, relatively low power consumption, and a relatively high degree of luminosity, have been developed. Because an LED has a relatively high degree of photoelectric conversion efficiency, it consumes less power. Because an LED does not emit light thermally, it does not require a preheating time, thereby exhibiting a relatively fast response time (in other words, it may be quickly turned on and off and on).
Because gas or a filament is not employed, LEDs have various advantages. For instance, LEDs are comparatively more resistant to impacts applied thereto, are safer, may employ a stable direct current (DC) lighting method, which consumes less power, may perform an extended repetitive pulse operation, may reduce optic nerve fatigue, may have a semi-permanent life span, may provide an illumination effect with various colors, and may have a compact configuration when used as a light source. Accordingly, LEDs may reduce the size of downstream products in which they are employed.
User demands for variety in types of lighting are on the rise. For example, beyond a conventional lighting scheme simply providing monochromic illumination having uniform brightness, adjustment functions to provide light of various colors having various degrees of brightness in the same area are being required in illumination devices. Also, beyond a scheme in which a user directly visits a variety of widespread living spaces to control corresponding illumination devices distributed therein, demands for remotely controlling various illumination devices from a location is increasing.